Mumbai: Days after an 89-year-old woman was found dead, the Malad police arrested a 45-year-old Bihar resident, who killed the victim for money. The accused Baiju Mukhiya, 45, was arrested 72 hours after an intensive investigation, said an official.
According to the police, Mukhiya earns his livelihood by doing menial work. He was staying in a rented hut in the area where Shantabai lived. Shantabai, who would earn her living by begging, had come to stay at the same place 15 days before she was killed. She lived in room number eight of Subhash De Chawl. She had called her grandson Sonu on May 16 and told him that she had Rs15,000, which Mukhiya overheard.
The accused killed the woman before fleeing the spot with stolen money. During the investigation, the cops found out that the victim was hit on the head and her ribs were also damaged. No movement was reported from her house for two days. This aroused the suspicion of the residents who later informed the police.
The police suspected that Shantabai’s murder could have been committed by someone with knowledge of the house, who entered through the roof. Mukhiya lived near the woman’s home, raising suspicions against him, and he was interrogated.
He then confessed that he had killed Shantabai with the intention of stealing. Mukhiya is now in police custody, and some of his accomplices are being investigated by the police, as well as the stolen amount. Senior police inspector Ravindra Adane and his team are investigating the matter.
